An economic and trade matchmaking conference, jointly hosted by the Shaanxi Council for the Promotion of International Trade and New Jersey-based Council for Trade and Investment Promotion, was held in New York on Monday local time, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

There is significant potential for provincial or state-level cooperation between the two countries, and such events are conducive to bringing local officials and businesses together to boost ties, a Chinese expert said on Tuesday.

The event, the China (Shaanxi)-US Economic and Trade Matchmaking Conference, drew the participation of about 120 representatives from political and business circles. The participants exchanged views and engaged in cooperation discussions on key areas such as the green and health industries, alongside industry presentations and business matchmaking, according to Xinhua.

Centered on green, health and two-way empowerment, the event focused on plant extraction, the big health industries, and green food, featuring presentations, business matchmaking, one-on-one talks, and exhibitions, Xinhua reported.

This type of exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and US local officials and businesses are a crucial part of China-US bilateral cooperation and could help further strengthen bilateral ties, Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"It can further leverage Chinese provinces and US states' comparative advantages and form mutually beneficial cooperation relationships," Zhou said.

There is a rich history of China-US cooperation at the provincial or state level, and there are growing exchanges in recent months. In November, the seventh China-US Sister Cities Conference was held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, which brought together more than 180 representatives from 36 counties and cities across 28 US states, as well as delegates from 26 Chinese provincial regions, according to Xinhua.

In September, the China Provinces-US States Economic and Trade Cooperation Seminar was held in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, which brought together approximately 200 participants, including government and business representatives from Chinese regions such as Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, as well as US states including California, Illinois, Washington, Georgia, and New Jersey, according to the official website of Invest Fujian.

Most recently, in late April, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi led a delegation to visit Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, as this year marks the 15th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Chengdu, and Honolulu, Hawaii, according to China News Service.

"Such exchanges should be further expanded," Zhou said, adding that sub-national cooperation goes beyond traditional goods trade and can be further expanded into industrial coordination, technological collaboration, talent exchange, education, and services trade.